Vehicle wheel lock



Aug. 31, 1943.

E. L. HEATH VEHICLE WHEEL LOCK Filed Feb. 18, 1942 by! sin ml Im mm w.. w 4 l W EY wheel. The-device of thepresentqinvention the brakedrumrll. The web 9-6; provides. a -cont- Patented Aug. 31, 1943 l lew e l o 1 m a It is the, primary object of the invention to provide an emergency lock applicable to, existing wheel structuresior the purpose of securing sems re i the;nh b s w .:=.Vrthe hee n T r meva o th t e is rem d cu fu s e he l s first mpunt d m thermometer to ercantile m" vetthe vehicle axle and hub by unscrewing thenuts w wh bh th hub c n s v se e r, Therefqr b by precluding removalorthehub cap, I am able toafiordwery material protection to thetires.

E in whe ls a P b d d w h h -l k penings immediately within the 3 rims' to receive the straps oftire chains. It is aparticula hl5 ject of the present invention to provide alock in: device having component parts readily re ceivable through "these slots and readily: locked to each other without requiring any specialequipment or anything permanentlyafiixedfto the 2'0 applicable. without tools to any conventional Yehicle wheel and in no way in' pairs or modifies the. "hel structureand mayQifdesired, be re-n never: at any time. f l 25 fOtheniobjects will beapparenttromthe fol lowing disclosure of nay invention. I

Intherdrawingr r r gureii is as ejeiev t onofay hie e wheel withmy invention.

Figure 2 isga'vertical aerial section through Figure 3 is a. view in perspective on a larged scale showing the separate parts conip fs-i insimproved emergencylockr I r 5 4O While there are many specifically different wheel structures 'orrthe market, the conventional j wheel includes integrally orunitarily a rim 5 and anoutwardly dished web 6 detachablyconnected cure the'swheel either 1 directly to the hub or to cave pocketat In in which the nutsare located, such pocket being covered by a detachable c10 sure I2 in the r mo concave disk which is 50 calledahub-cap w U The web portbn Got the wheel is provided at intervals about periphery and immediately within the rim with T8 series 01 priph eilly 'ex f .shankll. g i

' tension strap.

straps of we chains. llnaccordance with the present invention, Ifmount two or more fittings in a corresponding number of these slots and look their ends together acrossthe hub cap, In the structure shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, th ifit tings l6 are T-shaped, havingshanks I l rough 1y correspondinginwidth to the slots (to preclude any substantial lateral movement) and "a head, whichlhas shoulder portions- I8 much tgo wide to pass through the slots, the head beingprefe erably somewhat inclined witl reference to the F0r purposes of illustratio [only two fittings are employed in the device aeiIIustrated. ,Moremayheadedto any desired number. Eachf'fitting, as showninFigures 1, 2and 3, has an e:#:- I The extension strap from the upper fitting is. designated by reference character l,9 while that, which extends up fromthe lower fitting ,isfdesignated by. .reference character 28.

Eachofthe straps is welded to the respective .fit-

ting. The straps are of such length that they overlap and in their overlapping ends there are registering slots 2| adapted to. receive a haspat 22 which is connected to a mounting plate23 of any desired size, The only reason for placing thephasp l on a separate mounting plate rather thanuponthe hub cap 12 is to avoid marring the hub can. he .fI'he reas n why the hasp is mount edon aflseparate plate 23 rather than upon" one of the straps [9 or ,is because [the hasp, if moflntedon the strap, would make it impossible to'manipulate' the strap through the extremely narrow slot l5 with which most conventional wheels areflprovided'. Broadly, it is immaterial how thehasp'is mounted so long as it'cannot be drawn through the slots 2| and its inner fehd I preferably bears on or over the hub cap to assist insecui'lng the hub cap against unauthorized removal. .With the slotted ends of the straps l9 andfzflln place over the hasp a padlock 25 secures the assembly together, In the preferred embodiment, the padlock is located with its center p of 'rnassat the center of the wheel ,so' as not to, to a hub I bymeans o1'nuts8 which' maysedestrovthebalance of the wheel. "I'lie'p-adlock may be taped or otherwise secured in position to strap are'forxned in one piece,"thestrap being" tering slots of said straps to receive a padlock.

By means of the present invention, the hub cap I2 may be covered to any desired extent using any desired'number of straps and fittings and a plate of any desired size to resistor prep-.-

clude unauthorized access to the nuts which securethe demountable wheel. Becausethe device of the invention is applicable to. existing wheels-v Without injuring the appearance of the vehicle or requiring any permanent modification of its.

structure, it is particularly adapted for emergency use. I do not desire to-be limited-'to-details of the mechanism shown" but contemplate in the appended claims that my invention be interpreted as broadly astheistate' of' the art permits.

'1. An emergency anti-theftdevice forvehicle wheels having mounting nutsand a hubrcap covering such nuts, said device comprising'separate headed members having shank portions individually receivable from the rear through opposing tire chain slots of aoonventional vehiclewheel and freely removable rearwardly therefrom when unlocked, and strap means extendiing between said members outwardly'of'thevehi' ole. Wheel and constituting the sole connection therebetween, together with means --in (;luding a" lock for securing said'strap means in place diametrically of the vehicle wheel across, the hub fcap thereof whereby to secure the hub cap against. unauthorized removal for exposing the wheer mounting nuts.

2. Anemergency anti-theft device for vehicle wheels having web portions provided with slots and having mounting nuts covered byia. hub cap, said device comprising a plurality of headed: members with shank portions adapted to'be manipulatedthrough the slots of the wheel from the back, and means for securing said members together across [the hub cap of: the; WheeLto' preclude removal thereof, said meansf'including' a hasp, a plate topwhich saidjhasp is "mounted independently of, said members, and" slotted means through which said hasp. is receivediiand', exposed for connection ofja padlock thereto, said slotted means comprising an extensionofone of said members.

3. Inan emergency anti-theft device'pa ,vehi ole wheel having a rim, 'a web provided with peripheral slots immediately within the rim, and a pocket for mounting. nuts provid'edwith a hub.

cap closure, said-device comprising a, plurality of T-shaped fittings havingheads enga fiabl'e with said web and shanks receivable 'through thei slots of the wheel web, straps connected", with Y the respective fittings and'adapted, to benmanipur lated with said shanks through saidjslots, s'aid strapsbeing of suchalengtliasto overlapacross said hubcap and being, providediwith s'lotsregistering in the overlapping. positions of: said. straps, a hasp independent ofsaidstraps and provided with means securingit. againstlwithe drawal through said s1ot's,.fsaid hasp. being; of 1 a len th adapt dito: P oject throu h 'e'sie I 4. An emergency anti-theft device applicable without tools to a conventional vehicle wheel having a, rim, a slotted web, a pocket for mounting nuts, and a hub cap-constituting a closure for said pocket, said device comprising a plurality of separate anchorage members free of connection behind said web and thereby separately manipulatable through the slots of the wheel web from the rear thereof and individually headed to limit their movement forwardly through such slots, at least one of said memibers being of a length to span the wheel hub cap...and said members having mutually overlapping portions together with means for looking said; portions together.

5. Any emergency anti-theft device for application to a vehicle wheel having a rim, a web slotted'within the rim, and a pocket for mounting nuts provided with a hub cap closure, said devicecomprisinga plurality of separate-and independently manipulatable strap means I individually receivableth'rough spaced slots of the Wheel web from the'back oi the wheel, headsthereon incapable-of passage through said slotsand thereby-- limiting their movement outwardlythrough the Wheel, said'strap means having terminal portions in lockable relation outside the wheel, and 'meansincluding a lock completely detachable from said strap-mea-ns for securing; together the lockable portions or'the strap mea-ns, said strap means being formedt'o extend across" the-hub cap closure directlybetween saidheads and'constituting the sole connection between said heads, all portions of *thestrap' means" being suf+ ficiently smaller than therh'eads-topass freely through the wheel web sl otsthroughwhicl'rsaid I headsare incapable ofpassing; I

6.- An anti-theftdevice of the character de= scribed 'comprising-a-pair-oi 'slotted straps adapted for independent insertion through a slotted wheel from-therea-r and ot suchlengthas to be adaptedQfor overlapping engagement of;thei'rf slotted portions outwardly of ajvehiclewheel headed fittings at the ends or thestrapsen I gageable withthe wheel at the rear, a'ihaspprovided with a mounting plate'independently of'i said straps, said hasp extending; through the slots of the straps with-said plate engaging-; one

of the straps and a lock receivable'into-said hasp for engagement with the other straps for securing together the overlapping slotted ends thereof; v I

v '7. The deviceof claim 6"in-- which the relative. length of the respective-strapsbetween the headed" ends andthe slots is'such asto locate the lock. substantially centrally of the wheel to which the straps are applied. I i

8. An anti-theft device,iorlapplicationlto a vehicle wheel havingjarim, a,. web, slotted within, the. rim, and .a pocket-tor mounting, nuts iprovidedawith ahhub cap closure, saiddevicee comprisi-nga plurality of strap means .individually receivable through spaced slots: of the wheel webfrom the backrof .the wheel; heads thereon limit:-. ingitheir movement throughthe wlieel; said strap means having mutually overlapping portions, and

means including a lock completely detachablefrom'said strapmeans, for securing togetherthe overlapping portions of the strap meansyt'ogether, with a hasp separately detachable from said. strap means th'e. strap means being, slotted; to. hasp, being, headed'fto receive the hasp and}; e?

2,328,339 preclude its withdrawal through the slot when at least one of said arms being resilient whereby said arms constitute means with which said lock is releasably engaged for positioning the lock against displacement relative to said plate.

10. An anti-theft device of the character deqscribed comprising a pair of straps adapted for connection across the hub cap of a vehicle wheel to lock such hub cap in place, said straps having locking means wholly removable therefrom whereby to permit the straps to be projected from the rear through the narrow slots of a vehicle wheel, each of said straps being individually freely withdrawable from the wheel when unlocked, and each of the straps being individually provided unitarily with a head means angularly positioned to engage the rear of a vehicle wheel through which said straps project.

11. A anti-theft device of the character, do scribed applicableto a vehicle wheel having a hub cap, a rim, and a mounting web extending from the hub cap to the rim and provided with narrow peripheral slots immediately adjacent the rim, said anti-theft device comprising straps adapted for manipulation independently through the aforesaid slots from the rear of the wheel toward the front thereof and adapted to extend toward each other across the hub cap from opposite sides of the wheel, T-shaped heads individually provided upon the respective straps and engageable with the wheel at the rear, said heads being angularly disposed with respect to their respective straps whereby to adapt the straps to extend across the hub cap, and means for locking such straps in interconnection over the hub cap, said means including a lock completely removable from the straps whereby to permit of their manipulation through the aforesaid slots.

12. The device of claim 11 in which said looking means further includes a hasp headed for engagement with one of said straps, the several straps being provided with registering slots through which said hasp extends for engagement by said lock.

t EARLL. HEATH. 

